1. Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates to a seatpost for bicycle saddles, said seat post being particularly suited for trekking or racing bicycles.
2. Discussion of the Background Art
In bicycle riding, already minor unevenness in the road surface will tend to cause considerable physical stress to the cyclist, primarily to his or her spine, back muscles etc. To reduce these stresses, it is known to provide bicycles with rear-wheel suspension systems.
Frame constructions of this type are, however, heavy and overly complex so that the use of such resilient rear-wheel suspension systems is restricted to mountain bikes and trekking bikes. For sports bicycles such as racing bicycles, triathlon bicycles and the like, a provision of resilient rear-wheel suspension systems would be ill-suited already because of the weight of such systems. Further, resilient or dampened seatposts are known. Also these, however, have a heavy weight and thus are not of interest for use in sports bicycles such as racing bicycles.
Known from EP 1 476 346 is a seatpost comprising a head portion for attachment to a saddle member such as a saddle support structure. Connected to said head portion are two bars. These bars, arranged at a distance from each other, are made of a flexible plastic material. In the frame-side end region of said bars, a connection member is provided between the bars, filling the distance between them.
Said connection member is absolutely necessary because the frame-side end region of said bars is inserted into the opening of the seatpost and is clampingly held therein by a seatpost clamp. By the provision of said two flexible bars, the riding comfort is improved. However, the seatpost described in EP 1 476 346 has a low torsional stiffness. Insufficient torsional stiffness will adversely affect the handling of the bicycle.
It is an object of the invention to provide a seatpost for bicycle saddles, particularly for use in racing bicycles, which, while having suitable flexibility for improving the comfort, also has sufficient torsional stiffness.